Related Pages

Orientation & Mobility Division

With more than 1,000 members in Orientation & Mobility Division, we are the largest and most comprehensive professional organization for Orientation and Mobility (O&M) specialists in the world.

PURPOSE:
Our purpose is to encourage and promote professional standards and improvement of O&M practices and services by:
• Offering professional development opportunities;
• Encouraging quality university preparation of O&M specialists, and
• Working to improve and expand O&M services for individuals with visual impairments.

O&M Scope of Practice

A scope of practice paper was developed to more clearly define what we do as professionals. This document was shared to solicit feedback and then the final document was approved by a 97% vote from division members. Here is the final document that includes a 2-page executive summary.

What is an Orientation and Mobility Specialist?

O&M specialists teach people who are blind or visually impaired the skills and concepts they need in order to travel independently and safely – in the home and classroom, and in the community and city. O&M specialists provide services across the life span — they teach children who are visually impaired in school programs and adults in rehabilitation settings. READ MORE.

The profession of O&M formally developed during and immediately after World War II, when soldiers who had been blinded in battle were taught how to travel independently. Since that time, the profession developed to serve children, people with low vision, elderly people, deaf-blind people, and visually impaired people with multiple disabilities. Read about O&M: The Living History.